Man attacks stranger in Montecito home, barricades himself, jumps out window

May 22, 2025

 

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

A man allegedly violently attacked a female stranger inside a home in Montecito on Wednesday and then barricaded himself from deputies before eventually being arrested.

Shortly before 4:30 p.m., a 911 caller reported a possible vehicle theft or home invasion robbery in progress at a residence in the 1000 block of Fairway Road. Deputies arrived at the scene and found a female assault victim who had sustained severe injuries outside of the residence, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

Emergency personnel transported the victim in an ambulance to an area hospital. 

Deputies learned the male suspect was still inside the home, but it was unclear if all occupants of the residence had safely escaped. Additional deputies, along with personnel from other law enforcement agencies, including the CHP and Santa Barbara Police Department, established a perimeter around the home and re-routed traffic away from the scene. 

Santa Barbara County air support provided observation assistance from overhead. As investigators tried to determine if there were hostages, the Sheriff’s Office Special Enforcement Team and Crisis Negotiation Team arrived with Bearcat armored vehicles. 

Deputies entered the home to check for additional victims and determined that all other occupants of the residence had escaped. They located the suspect who was barricaded in an upstairs restroom. With assistance from a crisis intervention trained co-response deam deputy, the deputies inside the home attempted to talk the suspect out of the bathroom. 

The suspect tried to flee by climbing out of a second floor bathroom window. The man jumped to the ground, where deputies and a sheriff’s K-9 apprehended him.

Authorities identified the suspect as 43-year-old Russell Maxwell Phay of Nevada. Deputies booked Phay in the Santa Barbara County Main Jail on a misdemeanor count of obstruction and felony charges including burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, battery with serious bodily injury and kidnapping. Phay is being held with his bail set at $100,000.

The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.